As part of reducing costs, the Japanese government is seeking lower drug prices by moving towards more generics. The ageing population and rising debt are taking a toll on the Shinzo Abe's government. The Japanese government is aiming to reduce prices of branded drugs.
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Volkswagen's trucks division mulls over IPO, expansion
Volkswagen's heavy truck division is exploring several options for enhancing business growth. The trucks division is studying initial public offer (IPO) plan and acquisition route to achieve higher growth rate. Trucks division is keen on expanding in the US and Chinese markets.
Google: CEO Sundar Pinchai Received Equity Award Worth $199 Million in Restricted Stocks
Google CEO Sundar Pinchai received his first equity award granted by Google's parent company, Alphabet, Inc. The $199 million amount was one of the biggest ever given by a U.S. company, making him one of the world's highest-paid executives. Besides Mr. Pinchai, other executives, including Diane Greene and Ruth Porat also received the award worth $42.8 million and $38.8 million respectively.
Advisory Services of Barclays, Credit Suisse and Evercore Fail To Protect Apollo Education From Acquisition
Barclays, Credit Suisse and Evercore have acted as financial advisers to Apollo Education. Despite their advisory efforts, the institution has incurred a loss of $60.8 million during the last concluded fiscal quarter. Finally, Apollo Education has been compelled to go through acquisition for $1.1 billion.
Eyeriss: MIT Introduced Chip Capable of Deep Learning Using AI Technology
An MIT research team has introduced a new computer chip, Eyeriss, that will allow IoT devices to go through deep learning process. Data collected by the devices, is currently uploaded to the internet for processing by power servers. Eyeriss chip processes the collected data locally using the neural technology and thus ensures data security and reduces power consumption.
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Sony has kept its words through releasing Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact smart phones in committed date. But the US oriented version of the Z5 genre hasn’t inherited the biometric authentication system. This lacking will affect the consumers using Android 6.0 and thus shave Sony’s profit margin to some extents.
As per the federal agreement, HSBC has agreed to pay $470 million to provide relief to abused mortgage loan borrowers. The payment will be directed towards mainly Virginia, along with 48 other states. The bank, accused of malpractices like robosigning and bad loan designs, will now be monitored by an independent body to ensure it adheres to the revised banking standards and settlement terms.
All the tech giants are investing heavily in the research and development of virtual and augmented reality products. Google has been reportedly planning a successor to the cardboard VR viewer. The smart phone based headset incorporating improved sensors and lenses will be housed in a solid plastic casing instead of a cardboard.
Contrary to earlier bullish predictions for 2016, several Wall Street strategists have started lowering their forecasts on S&P 500 stocks. The Chinese economy slowdown, volatile oil prices and interest rates are the major reasons for drop in forecast. The gap between highest and lowest forecast has been widening.
China's foreign exchange reserves had declined reaching to trillions. However, the government made efforts to support the local currency from dropping further.
Messaging app Wiper has raised a total of $4.5 million seed funding from its investor Michael Choupak adding $2 million dollars. The service launced $4.99 monthly subscription fee to preview and watch thousands of original short and long, inexpensive indie films that can be compared to expensive Hollywood movies.
The failure of Takata's airbag inflators are keeping pressure on several automobile giants. Volkswagen and Audi will recall Tiguan and Q5 model vehicles for defective airbags made by Takata. Dealers of automobile companies will replace the defective side airbags of Takata at free of charge.
Rolls has been participating in the Naples Winter Festival for the last 15 years with the first production of any new version placed for auction. The first copy Dawn Convertible has been auctioned in January 31 for $750,000 and thus collects $4.8 million in total. The amount received from auction is dedicated for Naples Children & Educational Foundation (NCEF).
Venture capital (VC) funding activity seems to be heading towards pre-recessionary mark. The VC activity recorded robust growth phase for over seven years. The sluggish financial markets are discouraging VC funding and raising money.
